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Pancake Fridays: The Thickest, Puffiest Pancake Yet

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When I was little, I could speak five languages.

Kaiserschmarrn

Second-grade Mandarain, sesame-street Spanish, I could count to three in Japanese and I could say exactly one sentence in German. I don’t think I need to tell you my native language (Bengali, obvs.) That all counts right?

Kaiserschmarrn

My one shining German sentence was, ironically enough, “Ich kann nicht sprechen Deutsch.” I can’t speak German.

Courtesy of my mom, thanks to her study abroad adventures in Germany. Actually, Erik can actually speak German sort of fluently and I like to demand he say things to me in it. Aren’t we all suckers for foreign accents? /sigh.

Unfortunately, I have no idea what an accurate pronunciation of this is, which is a shame because this is the fluffiest pancake you will EVER eat, and I think that deserves accuracy.

Kaiserschmarrn

Regardless. To the pancake.

I first discovered kaiserschmarrn here and was fascinated by the idea of a thick, scrambled crepe served all chopped up. “Kaiserchmarrn” apparently derives from the words “kaiser” (emperor) and “schmieren” (to smear) because apparently Kaiser Franz Joseph loved this pancake so much, it got a special name. Traditionally, kaiserschmarrn is shredded or chopped into pieces during or after frying and served with some kind of fruit compote. All over that!

But THEN I saw this outrageously fluffy thing billed under the same name there was just no question: outrageously fluffy pancake version wins over scrambled crepe version every time.

Kaiserschmarrn

whipped egg whiteThough I don’t normally whip egg whites for my pancakes (a laborious extra step when you can get fluffy pancakes without it), this pancake’s volume relies on four egg whites whipped to stiff peaks, which is folded into a foamy batter that cooks up so tall and buttery and golden you’ll be questioning whether you made cornbread or a pancake.

Kaiserschmarrn

Except the texture is far from cornbread—more of a custardy, eggy, airy slab of pancake fried in butter that tastes insanely decadent but there’s actually no fat in the pancake itself, just the fat you use to fry it. It’s kind of like a stovetop dutch baby, except thicker. Which means MORE DELICIOUS in my book. And it’s not overly sweet, which means it is heavenly drizzled with honey and compote, or just strewn with chunks of ripe peach or whatever other fruit you have on hand. There’s some tricky flipping in this recipe, but don’t worry–I got you covered!

Kaiserschmarrn // The Pancake Princess

The pancake was already fully cooked when I made this gif, but in real life, the top of the pancake will still be wet and barely set when you slide it out of the pan onto a plate. This is how you flip it!

From Dutch babies to Japanese crepes to Austrian pancakes: we’re going around the world! This is getting exciting.

Kaiserschmarrn
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Pancake Friday: Kaiserschmarrn

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 eggs separated
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • honey peaches, or other fruit for topping

Instructions

  • In a large bowl combine the flour and baking powder. Make a well in the center and add the milk, vanilla and egg yolks. Gently whisk together all the wet ingredients to combine in the well, then start to incorporate the flour mixture into the wet—this will help ensure a lump-free batter.
  • In a separate bowl with an electric mixer, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Continue whipping, and gradually add the sugar until the egg whites form stiff, glossy peaks.
  • Place a 10-inch non-stick pan on medium heat and add 1.5 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is almost melted, quickly fold the egg whites into the batter until well combined. The butter should now be fully melted and bubbling (possibly browning!)—swirl it around the pan to evenly coat the bottom, quickly pour the batter into the pan and place the lid on. The pancake should need 5-10 minutes on the first side, depending on your pan size.
  • Once the pancake is browned on the bottom (use a spatula to peek), and setting on the top, slide the pancake out onto a large flat plate, using your spatula to assist. Melt the remaining butter in the pan and drizzle the melted butter over the partially cooked top of the pancake on the plate. Place the now empty skillet over the top of the pancake and carefully flip the whole plate/pancake/skillet upside down, so the pancake is back in the skillet. The second side should need another 5-10 minutes.
  • Slice, drizzle with honey and chopped peaches and EAT! If you have leftovers, I liked them best reheated in a pan over medium heat until slightly toasty around the edges and light as air in the middle.

Did you try this recipe?

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Kaiserschmarrn

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  1. Anja Brinkmann

    Hey Erika!
    Ich durchstöber gerne deine Seite, auch wenn ich nicht so gut Englisch kann.
    Selber esse ich gerne Kaiserschmarrn und mir fielen zwei Dinge auf, die ich als Deutsche vom Kaiserschmarrn kenne.
    1. Wird der Kaiserschmarrn nicht in Stücke geschnitten, sondern geviertelt, gewendet und dann in Stücke gezupft. Er soll schön uneben aussehen.

    2. Kommen in den Kaiserschmarrn noch Rosinen ( written raisins ? )

    Greetings from germany

    Reply

    • erika

      Hi Anja!

      I’m so sorry that I just got your comment (somehow!), but thank you so much for the tips! My goal is to try a more authentic version of Kaiserschmarrn one of these days, and I will definitely keep your advice in mind. Thanks again! 🙂

      Reply

    • erika

      Oh thanks so much Anne! I seriously think this is one of the most underrated pancakes on my site. It is SO fluffy and amazing! I hope you get a chance to try it!!

      Reply

  4. amallia

    I love kaiserschmarrn! It’s favorite dessert in Germany (I live in Hannover since 2010). By the way, the right sentence is ” Ich kann nicht Deutsch sprechen” (Infinitiv/verb at the end of the sentence if there’s modal verb after subject). Peace! 🙂 Nice Blog LG Amallia

    Reply

  5. Alex @ Brain, Body, Because

    DAMN that is a seriously tall cake! So much puff and fluff! These look so delicious 🙂

    Also, I totally know what you mean about being a sucker for accents. Aren’t we all? Unfortunately, I am SO bad at imitating accents, which totally confuses Chris, who’s really good at them 😛

    Reply

  7. Kym

    That’s definitely the thickest and puffiest pancake i’ve ever seen! Looks and sounds delicious and since it filles the whole pan, it’s fool proof when it comes to making perfect circles. Haha!

    Reply

  9. Tahnycooks

    I have been on a pancake kick lately and I quite certain this big fat fluffy pancake would take a blue ribbon anywhere!! Man, I want that pancake in front of my face right now!!

    Reply

  10. Kaylie @ Skinny Muffin

    GIRL YOU ARE A MIND READER. I JUST learned about whipping eggs to add into pancakes in my Food Prep dietetic class, and I starred on my paper **whip eggs into pancakes for fluffy pancakes** and have wanted to ever since and then you did this! FATE. I can’t wait to do this! So excited for FLUFFY PANCAKES.

    Reply

  18. Linda | The Urban Mrs

    LOLZ – Erika, you sure know how to crack me up. Your story is always inspiring and fun to read. Now that made me realize how many languages I could speak when I was little, lol. And that pancake…you definitely deserve the title the pancake princess!

    Reply

  20. Nancy @ gottagetbaked

    Erika!!! Girl, I have to tell you how much I love your blog. You crack me up all the time (the speaking five languages thing was hilarious), it feels like I’m listening to a good girlfriend talk, and you supply me all the time with one kick ass pancake recipe after another. This is the mother of all fluffy pancakes. Dang that looks amazing! I feel the same way about whipping egg whites (gaaaah I’m so lazy, I never want to do it) but for this recipe, I’m willing to make an exception. I want this in my life right.now. And I’m loving all the GIFs you’re posting.

    Reply

    • erika

      Oh, you. So sweet! That’s how I feel about reading your posts–just my sassy, sugar-talented frand gossiping while whipping up another batch of something delicious. And thanks for your specific feedback–you’re the best at pointing out what you like which is really great and helpful!!

      Reply